Angel II | A Montgomery Warrior

CHARMAINE'S POV :

"They will regret leaving me behind."

Shot 23.

"I'm better than Nate in every way."

Shot 24.

"I'm not a child. I don't need a crew to babysit me. I AM COMPLETELY CAPABLE OF TRAVELING BY MYSELF!"

25. 26. 27.

Reaching behind my back, I groped for another damned arrow but all I felt was the empty air. I yanked the quiver off my shoulders to reconfirm my assumption and yes, it was indeed empty.

"Bloody hell! I thought I'd kept 30 arrows yesterday. Where are the rest?"

I counted the number of arrows I've used already. 27 of them in total. Sighing in frustration, I mentally cursed my lack of memory power and how I also kept forgetting to take the remedy I made to cure the absentmindedness as well. I stomped towards every tree that I just shot and began plucking the arrows out.

"I need to find where these damn arrows go missing! Nate must have stolen them!"

"-Or you had dropped them near the stables."

Recognizing the familiar voice right away, a small smile appeared on my lips but it faded almost abruptly when I realized what she said. I crossed my arms angrily at the elderly woman who was smiling at my sulky face. She held out the arrows in her hands and gestured to take them.

"Don't get lost in your own misconceptions, dear. We should not accuse anyone simply based on favouritism."

I snatched the weapons from her hand and stomped back to my earlier position in silence. One more person who also happened to support the ever so useless Nathaniel Ray Montgomery and she herself gave remarks about favouritism.

How ironic...

Without averting my gaze from the target, I took my shot but, I missed the aim. Enraged by my own mistake, I grabbed another arrow and tried again. I could sense the keen gaze of the elderly woman piercing through my skin but my self-esteem was fighting hard against that intimidation. Ignoring the much more experienced audience, I took another shot.

"HOLY CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!"

Three continuously failed attempts and my so-called self-esteem gave up already. I threw the bow and quiver in agitation and screamed. So very loud to wake the entire forest. The beautiful birds that were watching my act all the while began to fly away. The noises of the commotion they made and the fearful fluttering of their wings torturously filled the atmosphere. Stuffing my fingers in my ears to avoid the noises of the birds, I screamed once more.

Moments later, I removed my fingers off my ears as silence settled in the air once again. The resonance of the waterfalls slowly began to slip in but the sweet song of the hummingbird was gone. I sat cross-legged on the ground and glanced at the tall skyscraping trees. Not even a single bird was visible. Realisation spread like poison in my heart. So painful and poignant.

Even the hummingbirds didn't want to stay with me.

They left. Just like my parents did.

Teardrops started to stain my face at the hurtful revelation. Hugging my knees together, I buried my face amidst them.

And I cried.

Cried, thinking about the past 17 years of abandonment.

Cried, thinking about my mother's unfair affection towards my brother.

Wrinkled fingers began stroking my hair gently and my head fell onto her lap as I continued weeping helplessly.

"Why does it always have to be me, gramps?" I sobbed with my eyes shut tight. I was trying hard to behold the tears but they poured without my concern.

"That's because you're precious, my dear." She tried to convince me. Just like she had been doing for the past 17 years.

"No. It's because I'm worthless. Or else, why would mother ignore me all the time?"

"She just wants you to be strong, Charmaine. She wants you to be a self-reliant girl who does not depend on her mother's shoulders."

"Then, what about Nate? Isn't he supposed to be raised that way? Independent like a man? And, I... I should be the one getting all the attention. Admit it, gramps. I'm not precious. I'm unwanted. I'm just a mistake."

She rubbed the back of my head and remained silent. As though she was arranging her words for a perfect sentence in order to convince me. And she did.

"Dear child, the voyages that your parents embark on are full of threats and dangers that you can't even try to presume. And-"

"What threats could come for a Healers' Crew? No one's going to steal herbs and remedies. Besides, isn't that why father's followers are provided with high standardized defence lessons?"

Unlike any other healers out in the whole land, our crew was provided with warriorlike combat training. Which in my opinion, was not necessary for healers but I never questioned the reason behind those training before. And that's because I was absolutely fond of them. In fact, it was the very reason why my mother seldom offers me an invitation to join her and my brother in practising healing because I spend most of my time with archery, swordfight or other forms of martial arts. Either by myself or with my father at times.

"Charmaine, our family does more than just healing pains of people and threats cannot be foreseen, my child. Possibilities are endless for any forfeit to occur."

"Then, I can protect myself. I'm stronger than before, gramps."

I stood tall grabbing my scattered weapons like a warrior but my juvenile self-confidence was just not enough to convince my grandmother. My age was not even half of her experience. She smiled holding out her hands for me and I pulled her to her feet with an equally happy smile.

"But still, we can't risk your precious life like that, my child." She caressed my face with both of her hands. I mentally sighed at her high potential to still defend my parents so strongly.

"Now, have I told you the story of Queen Regina?"

"Yes, gramps. Only a million times already." I rolled my eyes sarcastically to which she smiled a bit. For a record, ever since I was little, that's the only story I've been told.

"Did I mention why the Queen was left to face the agony of danger and defeat?" There was a hint of seriousness and an indirect message hidden in the tone of her bold voice and that was a question she never asked after repeating that story for all these years. So, I shook my head in oblivion, waiting for her answer.

"Well... The Queen was desired by everyone only after the exhibition of her beauty and bold talents."

Agreeable. Her fame was the prior reason for her downfall. She caught the eyes of Lucifer himself. However, I was still far from the message my grandmother was trying to convey. Understanding my confusion, she continued.

"If and only if... Her endowments and exquisiteness were never brought to light. Only if the precious Queen was kept safe and secured from the eyes of the cruel world, she could have lived and ruled her kingdom in peace. Don't you agree?"

Considering my grandmother's wise words, apprehension started to enlighten my mind in slow motion. All this while, I've been childishly blaming the Queen and even the demon king himself, for the fateful ending of her legendary tale but right now, it seemed totally different.

The Queen might have never intended to impress Lucifer. She might have never planned to fall for Gabriel either.

I glanced at my grandmother's face and a satisfied smile blossomed on her wrinkled face when she saw the shadow of clarity in mine. Enveloping me in her arms, she rubbed my back lovingly. Which I returned wholeheartedly. All the previous burns and blunders diffused out of my system, just like that.

"You're no different from the Queen to us, Charmaine. You're equally an even more precious treasure and we rather keep you safe and shielded, than lead you into hardships by exposing your strengths. After all, you're a Montgomery warrior, my child."

That night, I went to bed with a clearer heart and even a cleverer mind. I replayed every single word my grandmother preached. My parents have their own reason for keeping me guarded because apparently, they feared my future might end up like Queen Regina's.

However, unlike the brave Queen mentioned in the old legends, I know better to keep my strengths unpublished and achieve my goals at the same time because if there is one thing I'm skilful at, it's filtering a perfect moral lesson from any story.

And reapply it under my own terms without baiting any trouble.

After all, I'm indeed a Montgomery warrior.

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